I had the vague idea of a revenge adventure story from Alexandre Dumas the count.
But I didnt want to do a huge awesome 6 volume story. I wanted a brief short story so I rushed over the imprisonment, and most of it and wanted to jump the story into the revenge part. Well it seems that didnt work entirely, Alot of people thought my first chapter (the brief backstory that shows some glimpse of the character) before I got into the big part.
SO it seems if I want thhis story to be good, I need to model the story better and put more into it for it to make sense and not rushed. Gee Well I will try because I really am enjoying this story. It seems like this isa bigger story than my meager writing talent is capable of.
Comments
Happens to all of us.
That response just says that you have a good one going here. What else can I say?
Ditto
Maggie said it for me too.
I am enjoying how you and others here are improving from one posting to another. But no matter the technical quality a story is only good if there is a tale to tell. You have tales to tell and are getting increasingly competent at passing them on to the reader.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Revenge Cheapens the Vanquisher
I'll just say this once and stay out of it. While it may be fun to talk about taking revenge, hate and lack of forgiveness ruined my life. Some therapists say that writing about revenge let's all the tension out. My own opinion is that rehearsing violence only leads to violence. I know that many of you will say that you experienced more violence than I did, but for me it was enough. The soul of a violent man will never find peace.
Bite off no more than you can chew...
The character, or the setting, might be interesting in a smaller context. Why not start on a short story using one or more characters at a different, less open-ended, point in their lives. Something like a "My Dinner with Andre*" story, but find something interesting about it. Most writing exercises start with a single day, perhaps a few minutes captured from that day.
The classical tragedy took place within a single day, within a single place or city, and had a single linear plot, so some very good writers didn't find this discipline of "Unities" too terribly restrictive.
If you want to learn to paint, it's probably best not to start out flat on your back beneath the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Cheers,
Puddin'
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* An excellent case study of almost pure dialogue, since it takes place sitting at a table in a restaurant.
For an alternative take on dialogue, try Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, available on the Web.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/94569/Hills-Like-White-Elephants
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style